The Tour
by crusanite
Summary: A "missing episode"! Yay!  Set between The Boiling Rock: Part II and The Southern Raiders. Katara's chaotic thoughts are interrupted by an offer of a private tour of the Western Air Temple. Kataang, for your pleasure.
1. Katara: Interrupted

"_If they knew we were coming, it could all be a trap! Maybe we should use the time we have left to make sure we all get out of here safely."_

"_Everyone who's here today came prepared to risk everything for this mission. They know what's at stake. If there's still a chance and there's still hope, I think they would want Aang to go for it"._

"_What do you think? You're the one that has to face the Firelord. Whatever you decide, I'm with you."_

"_I've gotta try."_

Katara hadn't known silence like this for a long time. For the first time in a good few days she was alone. A relief. She had time to think. The Western Air Temple hung somewhere under the cliff side on which she sat, dangling her legs into the abyss. The sun dipped low over the horizon and she watched as the ravine gradually changed colour in the dimming light: from orange to reddish brown, to a dark pink, and then finally a deep purple. The last rays of the sun warming her face promised a warm, peaceful night. Katara groaned, dropping her head into her hands.

"_Why aren't they turning around to attack us again?"_

"_They're headed for the beach... They're gonna destroy the submarines!"_

"_How are we all going to escape?"_

"_We're not." _

"_Then our only choice is to stand and fight. We have the Avatar. We could still win."_

"_Yes. With the Avatar we could still win... On another day. You kids have to leave. You have to escape on Appa together."_

"_What? We can't leave you behind. We won't leave anyone behind!"_

"_You're our only chance in the long run. You and Sokka have to go with Aang somewhere safe. It's the only way to keep hope alive."_

"_The youngest of our group should go with you. The adults will stay behind and surrender. We'll be prisoners, but we'll all survive this battle."_

Her head buzzed unpleasantly as the tumults of memories battered themselves against her skull, fighting for a place at the foremost of her mind. It had all failed miserably, the entire plan. What were they going to do now? In all of their grand plans and schemes no one had ever mentioned the possibility of failure. Why? Was it because they had been so sure in themselves, so confident in their plans, or was it because, just under the surface, they were terrified? Terrified to even consider the prospect of defeat and what it would entail? Katara pressed her fingers to her temples and took a shaky breath in an unsuccessful attempt to calm herself. And so without a backup plan they had simply accepted her father's idea and left. Left everyone else behind, to an unknown fate. How could they do that?

"_We'll miss you, dad."_

"_Bye dad. We won't be apart for too long this time. I promise."_

The Fire Nation hadn't taken her mother prisoner. Katara's stomach lurched horribly as the idea began to fester. The Fire Lord had no reason to show mercy to the invasion force. Why would he? Slaughtering her friends and family would be an easy and effective way to discourage any further attempts to overthrow him. She knew if Azula had any involvement in the decision, the off chance of mercy would vanish entirely.

"_Thank you all for being so brave and so strong. I'm going to make this up to you."_

Katara fought off the urge to laugh. Make it up to them. How could they possibly do that? They were back to the start again. It had taken Aang months to learn waterbending and months to learn earthbending. They had until the end of the summer, mere weeks, for him to master firebending as well. And he... Katara swallowed painfully. Pull yourself together! Wiping her eyes feverishly, she scolded herself. You don't have the luxury of unravelling! They're all depending on you. Get a grip, for goodness sake. In a last-ditch effort to ignore the cracks in her armour, she thought of Zuko. Under the usual circumstances she tried exceedingly hard to ignore him. In this case, thinking of how much she hated that arrogant jerk made her feel a little better. And yet, despite her best efforts her mind had already been put on a journey which she couldn't stop. Aang. She tugged at her hair miserably as her train of thought hurtled onwards, out of her conscious control. Don't, she pleaded silently. Don't think about-

"_Everything's going to be different after today, isn't it."_

"_Yes, it is."_

"_What if... What if I don't come back?"_

"_Aang, don't say that. Of course you'll-"_

"Katara?" The waterbender jumped violently, scrambling to her feet. Suki stared at her for a moment, and Katara felt her face redden as Suki's gaze fell to her blotchy, tear-stained cheeks and her bloodshot eyes.

"Is something wrong?" said Katara loudly, cursing herself as her voice cracked. Suki's expression softened.

"No, nothing's wrong. I just wanted to see if you were okay. Everyone's been looking for you. We were really worried." Katara felt a twinge of guilt.

"Oh," she said, turning away from Suki. Katara rubbed at her eyes furiously. "Well, I'm sorry to have caused any trouble." She abruptly swivelled to face her companion once more, beaming a little too widely. "I'm okay though, really!" There was a long pause.

"Katara," said Suki gently, reaching forward to place a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure you're-"

"I'm fine," snapped Katara, slapping away her hand. "Can you just... Go away? Please?" Suki frowned, letting her hand fall.

"Alright then," said Suki cooly. "If that's what you want, I'll tell them not to bother you." Katara bit her lip, dropping her gaze. She watched Suki vanish down the little stone steps by the cliff side.

"Sorry," she blurted suddenly. "I didn't mean..." But Suki was already out of earshot.

By now the all that remained of the day was a thin strip of pink lining the horizon. It was a clear night, the inky vastness of the sky peppered with silver stars, but there was no moon. A faint smell of burnt rice wafted on the evening breeze. She guessed that Sokka had attempted to prepare dinner. Perhaps it would be better to skip the meal then.

The waterbender settled upon the ground once more, hugging her knees to her chest. Now that she was alone again, she could disappear back into the maelstrom of her thoughts. But did she want to? A decision must be made, she thought firmly.

About what?

Everything.

Everything, including-?

No. I don't know. How can I possibly-? He started it!

So you should finish it.

How?

You know how.

No, I don't! I didn't need this! Not now! I liked the way things were! This is... This is...

New.

Yes!

But isn't it good as well?

Maybe... I don't know!

Aren't you glad? I think you are.

I don't know!

Then you must be mad.

You know what's mad?

What?

Arguing with yourself, that's what!

Katara sighed miserably, flicking at a large pebble by her foot. She watched it as it flew over the edge of the cliff, disappearing into the dark depths below.

"Ow!" Katara stared.

"...Suki?" she ventured, hastily crawling to the edge of the cliff.

"Uh... No, it's me," came a sullen voice below her. Katara's eyebrows shot up her forehead.

"Aang?" With a sharp clack and a gust of wind, the Avatar closed his glider and propelled himself out of the canyon over Katara's head, landing lightly on his feet.

"That hurt, you know," he grumbled, rubbing the top of his skull. Katara gaped at him for a second. "Sorry," she said quickly, getting to her feet. "I didn't know you were-wait," She frowned. "What were you doing down there, anyway?" Aang stiffened. Even in the dark Katara could see that he was blushing furiously.

"I... Uh, I was just... I thought I might... Just-"

"Just what?"

"W-well," he babbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, everyone was looking for you, a-and Suki said she found you, and they were serving dinner and I didn't want you to get hungry only Sokka said you'd come down when you wanted food, but I was worried that they were going to eat it all because Sokka kind of eats a lot, I mean I-I know that you know that, you're his sister, but there are also a lot more people to feed now and so I got you a bowl just in case, b-but I put it down and someone ate yours, and I knew it was Toph but when I asked her about it she threw a rock at me, so I thought I'd save mine instead, and when everyone had finished and you still weren't there, and I asked Sokka if I should..." While Aang rambled and Katara stared, she found that, quite suddenly, all of her thoughts and stresses had drifted away with the evening breeze, for the moment at least. Instead, Katara's mind was completely engulfed in the curious amusing situation in which she now found herself. "...but I didn't want to startle you so I thought I'd walk, but then you'd wonder why I didn't fly up here, because I'm an airbender and walking would seem pretty stupid-" Katara laughed, and Aang's cheeks flushed an even darker shade of red. The Avatar smiled bashfully.

"That's very thoughtful of you, Aang," mused Katara, unfolding her arms. "I was actually getting pretty hungry." There was a pause, during which Aang simply continued to stare at her, his expression glazed. A minute slid by, before Katara raised an eyebrow, and Aang snapped out of his stupor.

"So!" he gasped, suddenly fumbling through his bag, and pulling out a little clay bowl of rice and a flat wooden spoon. "Dinner?" Katara beamed, accepting his little offering gratefully.

"Thanks," she said eagerly, crossing her legs and settling onto the ground. Aang joined her after a moment, watching her eat with a faint smile. Katara felt the weight of his gaze, blushing despite herself, and pretended to ignore it. The rice was burned (a la Sokka, of course) and stone cold, but she chewed the sticky grains with relish. She had missed lunch as well. As she ate, and the primal shouts of hunger drained from her mind, her thoughts drifted to the young monk sitting next to her. They hadn't talked about what had happened on the submarine. Actually, they hadn't talked about anything, really, since Zuko had joined them. Admittedly, this was partially because Aang was busy training, and Katara was equally occupied with cooking, organizing, packing, and yelling at Toph and Sokka whenever they tried to sabotage her efforts. And yet, when the opportunity had risen (which it had, on several occasions)... She felt guilty, too, as there had been moments where she had suspected that Aang was on the verge of bringing it up, and so she had begun to avoid being alone with him. With an unpleasant jolt, she realized just how alone they were now. She swallowed her rice with some difficulty, her mouth having suddenly gone dry.

Aang seemed to have realized this too, for he shifted uncomfortably beside her.

"Katara," he said softly after a moment. Katara raised her head from her bowl and looked at him. He fidgeted, and dropped his gaze. "I feel like... I think... H-have you been avoiding me?" Katara, who had sought to break the tension for herself by taking another spoonful of rice, choked.

"What?" she said loudly between coughs. "No! Of course not!"

"Are you alright?" said Aang anxiously, quite alarmed, starting to climb to his knees. Katara nodded wildly, waving at him, and he stopped.

"Fine! I'm fine!" Katara coughed a few more times, before regaining her composition. She cleared her throat loudly. Silence ensued again, during which neither one dared to look at the other.

"Okay, I'm sorry I thought that then. I must just be imagining things." He mumbled at last.

Katara winced, and raised her gaze to meet his. "Aang-" A loud gurgle split the air. Aang's eyes widened with embarrassment. As his stomach growled again, he flung his arms about it in an attempt to muffle the sounds. "Oh!" said Katara, hastily passing him the bowl. "Oh, Aang, I'm so sorry, I forgot that this was yours!" Aang smiled and shook his head, waving it back to her.

"No, I brought it up here for you! Besides, I'm not really that hungry." He stomach contended with this statement none too quietly. Katara giggled.

"I think your stomach disagrees," she pointed out, pressing the bowl and spoon into his hands. He laughed sheepishly.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course!" Katara grinned. "An Avatar needs all the strength he can get! Even if it is Sokka's cooking... Now, eat!" Aang beamed at her before eagerly obliging. After the first mouthful, Aang frowned, and looked from the bowl to Katara. She blinked at him, bewildered.

"Ifs col'!" he said through a full mouth of rice. He swallowed before repeating himself. "It's cold! Why didn't you say anything?" Katara shrugged.

"I was hungry, I didn't want to seem ungrateful... And what could we do about it anyway?" Aang shook his head. "What?" She gasped as, suddenly, the bowl began to steam.

"Firebender," said Aang smugly.

"Oh, right." Mentally, Katara was throttling herself for her idiocy. "Of course you are." Aang wolfed down the rest of the rice in a flash, and it wasn't long before they were sitting in silence once more. Without the moon, it was now pitch black.

"I wonder what the others are doing right now," came the Avatar's disembodied voice from beside Katara's shoulder. She shrugged, but realized the response went unseen in the dark.

"Sleeping, I guess," she answered. Then, suddenly, she laughed. "Which doesn't surprise me, with the amount of time you guys have spent running rampant around the temple!" She was silent for a moment. "I haven't gotten to see any of it," said Katara sadly.

"Why not?"

"Well, I've been keeping things organized! Someone has to cook and clean up your mess while you're all off playing!"

"Oh. I see."

"Do you? Really? Because I was under the impression that you were just as bad as the others!"

"Katara," Aang's voice hardened, and Katara realized she had spoken without thinking. "I've been working just as hard as you have." Harder, actually, thought Katara miserably.

"I know," she muttered. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"It's okay." Another long, tense silence ensued. Katara's mind was waging and internal battle the while, and so her question, when it eventually came out, sounded rushed and confused, nothing even close to what she had wanted to say.

"We're friends, right?" The minute the words spilled out of her mouth she regretted it.

Aang was silent for a moment before answering. "Yeah," he answered slowly, clearly wondering where she was going with this. "Of course we are!"

"Best friends?"

"Yes, why-?"

"Good. I'm... Glad. I'm really glad we're friends."

"Oh. M-me too." Katara, glad it was dark, slammed her forehead against her knees in frustration. Why was this so difficult to say? "Um, Katara?" Her stomach twisted with nerves. No, no, no. She had wanted to bring it up this time. In the patchy plan she had thrown together in her mind seconds earlier, she had smoothly admitted how she really felt, and the evening had dissolved into completely non-awkward bliss. There had also been background music. And now, it was going to get weird. "Do you want a tour?" Katara blinked, not quite sure if she had heard correctly.

"Pardon?" she spluttered, turning to face him in disbelief, but much to her disappointment was unable to do so in the darkness. "Do you," came Aang's voice in her ear, very quiet this time. Katara shivered. "Want a tour?"

"A tour?" she echoed, confused. "Of what?" she started as a warm hand closed over hers, pulling her to her feet. Somewhere in the dark, Aang laughed.

"A tour of the Air Temple! You said you hadn't gotten to yet, and, well, who better to show you around than an airbender?" Katara's smile faltered.

"It's pretty late, we should probably be getting back." She said reluctantly.

"Oh." Aang's hand abruptly left her own, and suddenly her fingers felt small and cold. After registering this, Katara realized she couldn't see a thing.

"Could we have some light though, Mr. Firebender?"

"To see by?" Aang asked hesitantly. "You can't get down without light?" Katara felt a twinge of annoyance.

"There are plenty of ways I can get down without light, Aang," she snapped. "Namely, falling off the cliff and plummeting to certain-" Her retort was cut short to a muffled shriek as something seized her fast around the waist and dragged her over the edge. Katara felt as though her innards had been left somewhere far above her only to be replaced by a bubble of panic as she fell. She scrambled in midair for a second before seizing a pair of shoulders, which she clung onto for dear life. Over the roar of the wind she thought she heard a faint laugh. Then, a sudden clack, and with a sharp jolt, nearly dislodging her, they stopped falling. Breathing heavily Katara peered blindly over her shoulder. A warm evening breeze dragged through her hair, and her clothes billowed gently against her skin. I'm flying.

"Gliding, actually," called Aang from beneath her, and Katara realized she had spoken her thoughts aloud.

"Aang!" she screamed, pounding her fist against his back as she suddenly remembered how furious she was. "Put me down! Right now!" Aang laughed airily.

"I'm serious, Aang! If you don't put my feet on solid ground this instant then I'll-AH!" her fingers dug into his shoulders as they dropped a few feet.

"You sound just like Toph," he teased. "Come on, Katara! Relax! It'll be fun, I promise!" Scowling, Katara buried her face against his neck, noting with savage delight how he suddenly stiffened.

"Fine," she grumbled. "Where are we going, then?"

"You'll see," he said lightly.


	2. The Giant Pai Sho Table

After what seemed like an age of smooth gliding (which admittedly, though she wouldn't dare tell him, she was beginning to enjoy), an alien sensation reeled in the pit of her stomach.

"Are we going down?" she called over the wind.

"Yes," Aang replied. When he didn't elaborate, Katara frowned.

"Are we landing?" she pressed.

"No." He answered dreamily. Katara huffed sulkily, annoyed by his vagueness.

"Well, will you tell me what's going on?"

"No," said Aang, surprisingly firmly. "That would ruin the surprise. Just relax and enjoy the ride." She was a control freak, after all (as Sokka pointed out far too often for his own good), and being left out of the loop for too long usually vexed Katara beyond measure. And yet, despite herself, she found that it was almost a relief not to have to worry about something for once. And so, she took Aang's advice, tightening her arms about his shoulders for good measure and settled onto his back, 'enjoying the ride'.

Slowly, her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, which was not as pitch black as it had first seemed. Pale shapes were now distinguishable, including the glider above her and the boy below. Gathering by the pressing grey about them, Katara figured that they were in the depths of the foggy clouds that ran through the canyon. Peering down from above, she had often wondered what lay underneath them, and with a jolt of excitement she wondered whether tonight she would finally find out.

Sure enough, the grey soup thinned about her, and all of a sudden a thin strip of silver glittered below: a river. It twisted beneath them like a writhing snake as they sped through the canyon, and a gradual growing brightness before them caused Katara to look up. The end of the valley framed the sight before them: the ocean, dark and quiet, its surface sparkling with the reflection of the stars. Katara couldn't supress a broad grin, mirrored on Aang's now visible face, peering at her over his shoulder.

"Feel better?" he yelled.

"I-Yeah! I do!" Katara vaguely wondered how he knew of that inner turmoil she'd been experiencing earlier that evening. He is my best friend after all, she mused. Of course he would notice. And Katara wasn't lying: she did feel better! Happy, actually. Happier than she'd been in a long while. "My ears feel a bit funny though," she said.

"Air pressure," he called. "Just hold your breath and pinch your nose!" Katara obliged, and sure enough her ears cleared with a light pop.

"How's that?"

"Great, thanks!"

"Good. Alright, hold on tight!"

The ground rushed up to meet them, and the glider closed with a neat snap. For a split second, Katara's elation was interrupted by a stab of panic: they would certainly smash into the ground, what with the break-neck speed at which they'd been travelling. She squeezed Aang's shoulders and winced in anticipation, bracing herself for impact. Time seemed to stand still as she waited for the splattering crunch of their bodies slamming into the rock. And then came something completely unexpected.

Ever so lightly, her toes touched the earth. Katara's eyes snapped open, and she looked down. Still clinging onto Aang for dear life, their feet were flat on the ground. No broken bones, no life-threatening injuries. She drew a sharp breath. Airbending. Of course. She scolded herself for her senselessness.

"Uh, Katara?"

Katara groaned into the back of Aang's tunic, still feeling thoroughly stupid. "What?"

"I, er, I can't really breathe with your arms around my neck like that."

"Huh?" she looked up, and with a start realized the stranglehold she had on the purpling Avatar. "Oh! Sorry! I'm sorry!" She sprung away from him and stared at the back his head in alarm. With a choked laugh, Aang turned to face her, rubbing his neck gingerly.

"It's okay," he said, his face returning to a healthier colour. "I guess it's been a while since you last flew on a glider, huh." Katara shuffled her feet bashfully.

"Well, yes," she admitted, very embarrassed. "And it wasn't dark. And, I kind of had a say in when I'd be thrown off a cliff. I wasn't grabbed from behind." Aang tittered sheepishly.

"Ha ha, yeah… That might have been a bit much…" He glanced at her from under his eyelids.

"But you know," said Katara slyly, edging closer. "That was actually pretty fun, in the end. Just… Give me a bit of warning next time, okay?" Aang grinned.

"Sure thing," he said. "Now, have you noticed what we're standing on?" Katara blinked, and looked at her feet. She was standing in the corner of a large green tile, a square perhaps roughly five paces by five paces. The one on which Aang stood was a bright orange triangle. They were standing on a huge flat surface, surrounded by a high rim of stone. Katara could hear the faint splashing of the sea crashing against the far wall. It was then that she registered the little flecks of seaweed swirling in puddles near her feet.

"It's a giant bowl," she said slowly, hopping onto the next tile. Aang shrugged.

"Technically yes," he said. "But guess again!"

"Orange and green tiles in a perfect circle…" Her expression brightened. "It's a giant Pai Sho table! Whoa…" Aang nodded enthusiastically.

"The nuns were much better at Pai Sho than the monks were," he sniggered. "Every time Gyatso visited, he always came back in a bad mood. He never won a game here, not once!" Aang settled cross-legged on a stray boulder, one of many that now speckled the tiled surface. "It's said that Avatar Yangchen was the one of the greatest Pai Sho players ever to live, and that she oversaw the building of the table herself. She was pretty smart about it too: to prevent young nuns from skipping out on their duties, she not only built the table way out here by the sea, but the table is only accessible during certain times of the day." He chuckled as he watched Katara leap from tile to tile, her arms spread for balance. "That's why there's seaweed and rock pools everywhere. The bowl, like you said, fills up with water during high tide."

"What did they use for pieces?" Katara called over her shoulder. "Surely not rocks!"

"No, we used reed baskets, with the symbols painted on top. That way, an airbender could simply… Whoosh!" Aang blew a gust of air to emphasize his point. "And move the piece to the next square. They were weighted at the bottom so that they wouldn't blow away in a regular breeze… Or if the loser got upset." Katara laughed. Aang got to his feet, and began to hop across the board, mimicking his companion.

"So where are the pieces now? I mean, you couldn't just leave them to get washed away!"

"There's a cave around here somewhere where we used to keep them." His expression brightened. "Hey, maybe we could play!"

"Do we have time?" Katara sounded unsure. "I mean, you said the bowl fills up at high tide." Aang shrugged.

"Well, the tiles are still wet, so I guess the tide only just went out. I think we've got two hours at least." Katara didn't seem convinced. "Don't worry!" said Aang reassuringly. "The games don't last that long!"

"Oh, no, I know that, it's just…" She fiddled with a strand of her hair. "I'm, er, not very good at Pai Sho." A sudden gust of air behind her caused Katara to start. She turned, only to find Aang had vanished. She gaped.

"Well," he said slyly, right behind her. Katara jumped violently. "Lucky you've got a master Pai Sho player to help you out!" Katara beamed.

"Alright then, Mr. Modest, you're on. Just don't be too surprised if you blow me off the board." Aang snickered.

"Would that be literally or metaphorically?"

"Both! Now, you'd better go find those pieces and I'll get to work clearing away these rocks." As she spoke, she pulled the puddles together in a long swirl of water about her arms, and whipped it impressively towards one of the boulders. The pair gaped as the water splashed against the rock with little effect, pooling once more upon the tiles. Katara stared at her hands.

"Uh…" Aang scratched the back of his head in puzzlement. "What happened?" Katara sighed in frustration.

"There's no moon tonight," she grumbled, glaring at the night sky. "Great."

"That's okay, I'll move the rocks with earthbending. Why don't you go find the cave?"

"But I don't know where it is!" Aang pointed to the cliff side.

"It's just up there, by that big bit of stone sticking out, on top of that rock that looks like Appa. You'll see it."

"Well, alright." Katara turned on her heel, and jogged across the slippery board. It didn't take her long to reach the rim of the bowl, and she scrambled up a small set of stairs laid into the rock. Handy, she thought, relieved that she didn't have to climb the steep wall. A loud crash behind her caused Katara to jump. She whipped about in alarm.

"Sorry!" Came a faint yell. "I'll throw them over here…" The shape of the Pai Sho table was much more obvious from this altitude, she thought, impressed. It must have taken forever to build! A tiny orange speck in the middle of the board waved at her, before hoisting another rock into the air with a flourish of his arms. Katara waved back, grinning to herself as she climbed the last of the steps. Now, she thought, looking about, a rock that looks like Appa…

It didn't take her long to locate the huge, bison-shaped lump. She clambered up its side and stood on top of its head. Katara giggled.

"It really does look like Appa," she exclaimed. "Horns and all!" She proceeded to crane her neck, squinting about in the darkness to locate the pointy bit of rock Aang was talking about. Jutting from the cliff immediately above her she found it: what at first appeared to be merely an overhanging piece of granite was actually an intricately carved stone awning. Evidence of decorative columns that had once supported it lay in rubbly ruins on the ground, but the structure proved to be strong enough to hold by itself.

Well, that wasn't too hard, she thought to herself peering into the depths of the cave. It was pitch black.

"Hey, Aang?"

"Yeah?" The response was faint.

"It's pretty dark in here, how deep is the cave?"

"What?"

"How deep is the cave?"

"Hold on, I'm coming…" Katara turned to see Aang bouncing up the last of the steps. That was fast. He beamed. "Hey, you found it!"

"Did you finish clearing the table?"

"Sure did!" He snapped his fingers, and a little orange flame appeared in the palm of his hand that instantly lit up the mouth of the cave. Still stone faces of air nomad nuns stared blankly back at them. Apparently the entrance wasn't the only elaborate part of the giant Pai Sho cabinet. Something fluttering on the ground at their feet caught Katara's attention, and she bent down to pick it up: a small yellow rag had been trapped under a large pebble. The corners were singed. Katara became aware that Aang's focus had been drawn, same as hers, to the little piece of cloth in her hands. Her eyes widened.

"Oh, I-" Her voice simply ceased to function as Aang wordlessly took the cloth from her fingers. His expression was set and unreadable: he simply looked at the scrap in his hand. Katara bit her lip, watching him warily.

One of the first things she had noticed about the Western Air Temple was that it appeared to be untouched, most likely due to its location. Though it had never been brought up in conversation, she believed that Aang too had appreciated the lack of evidence of his people's destruction. In fact, up until now, she had almost forgotten about the massacre that had taken place here a century ago. The Northern Air Temple had been cleared of that proof, as had the Eastern Air Temple, from what she heard. Katara had been worried about the final Temple, and was relieved that it too seemed to lack corpses and fire nation symbols. But now, here was proof of the genocide, gently flapping between Aang's fingers: it was staring them right in the face.

She swallowed. The silence was a very uncomfortable one, and Katara was unsure of how he would handle the situation. Would he lose control, like he had in the Southern Air Temple? No, that at least wasn't possible: the Avatar state had been blocked from his grasp. For a guilty moment Katara was thankful for that. It wasn't like Aang to break down and cry, so she doubted that would be the case.

But as he stood there, his eyes boring into his palm, Katara felt that as his friend it was her duty to do something. Anything!

Should she give him a hug? In the past she would have done so without hesitation. Her arms twitched as she half-followed this course of action. But… Katara grimaced as the flood of memories washed down upon her, the flood of… Awkwardness. In a flash their friendship was changed. Different. She didn't know whether hugging Aang would mean the same as it had done before, and if it didn't what that might entail for her.

This is stupid! At last, a little voice in the back of her head cut through her paralysis. Stop being so selfish! Katara shook herself, the surge of insecurity having subsided. She stepped forward, fully prepared to give her friend the hug she knew he so desperately needed.

But before she got the chance Aang had pocketed the scrap, and moved into the cave.

Katara froze, her arms half-raised in what she was sure was a very stupid-looking position. The moment had passed. Why had she hesitated? Stupid, stupid, stupid-

"Are you coming?" She looked up to see Aang's face, illuminated by the small orange flame, smiling at her. She gaped.

"Uh…"

"What's wrong?" She blinked. By all accounts, he appeared to have completely forgotten the incident, as if she had simply imagined it. But Katara knew better: the smile was forced, and his voice had a strange, strained quality to it that she had only ever heard during that awful time on the Serpent's Pass. She wondered whether or not she should press the matter.

"Nothing," she heard herself say. "I'm right behind you." His gaze lingered on her a moment longer, before he continued into the depths of the cave.

True to her word, Katara remained behind him all the way. He seemed happy enough, babbling about Air Nomad architecture and practices. They would pause by a statue, here and there, while Aang explained to her who they were, and whether or not he knew them.

"…And this is Sister Zhifang. I didn't get a chance to meet her personally, but from what I heard this statue appears to be pretty accurate."

"Really?" asked Katara incredulously. Aang nodded, stifling his laughter. "Wow…"

"Yeah. Air nomads mostly made fruit pies for charity, but it seems that what few we kept, she, er, found them."

"Found them?" She arched an eyebrow.

"Well… Disposed of them, I guess. But I'm sure she had a 'round' personality!"

What started as hushed giggles quickly turned into howls of laughter, bouncing wildly about the walls of the cave. Minutes later, Aang wiped a tear from his cheek, still chuckling.

"Boy, I haven't laughed so hard since Toph practiced earthbending on Sokka!" he said weakly, dropping his shoulder against the wall of the cave in a cloud of dust. Katara sniggered, and followed suit, but inhaled a lungful of dust.

"It's pretty dusty in here," she choked. "I think we should hurry up and find these pieces before the tide comes in." Aang grunted in agreement, rubbing his nose vigorously.

"Good idea," he said breathily, earning a curious glance from Katara. "I think the end of the cave is just u-uh-UH-" Katara's eyes widened in realization, and she ducked. An explosive airbending sneeze rattled the walls of the Pai Sho cabinet, sending a dusty funnel whirling over Katara's head and out of the mouth of the cave. Once the roaring wind settled, she cracked open an eyelid. The flame had since gone out, and they had been plunged into darkness. Somewhere ahead, Aang sniffed loudly.

"Katara?" he called. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," she said, warily getting to her feet. "That was quite a sneeze." Suddenly the little orange flame illuminated Aang's face once more, hovering eerily in the darkness. He tittered sheepishly.

"Sorry about that… But I think we're near the end of the cave!"

"Oh good!" Katara fumbled through the darkness, getting a grip at last on the Avatar's arm. Quite to her surprise, a trickle of air blew past her cheek. "Was that you?"

"No," replied the Avatar, manoeuvring them through the tunnel. "They're just air vents. You know, to keep the air fresh this deep inside the earth? If you walked on top of the cliffs you'd find little holes in the ground. They had them in the deeper caves in the Southern Air Temple. Sometimes winged lemurs would sleep in them. When that happened, the air scouts would have to fly down the mountainside with bells and-" Suddenly, Katara giggled. "What?"

"It's funny… I was just thinking that, somehow, we always end up in caves." Aang grinned.

"Hey, you're right!" Katara smiled dreamily as she thought about it. Caves were becoming a common haunt for the pair of them. Admittedly, the first time they had been trapped. Well, that had been pretty awful, until- Katara abruptly let go of his arm. Aang shot her a curious look.

"Katara?" he ventured. Thankfully, she didn't have to answer him: at that point, she stubbed her toe rather hard on the cave wall. "Hey! This is it!"

"This is what?" asked Katara sullenly, rubbing her toe.

"The back of the cave!" She looked about in mild interest.

"I don't see any baskets."

"That's because they're all stacked about the edges," said Aang brightly. "Here, you'll see…" He expanded the little flame in his palm until the entire chamber was lit in a yellow glow.

The first thing Katara noticed was the lack of baskets. Instead, perfect rings of little black stones lay about the floor, nested in piles of ash. She glanced at Aang, only to find his eyes wide with horror and fixed on some point above her head. Katara turned, and immediately felt as if someone had punched her in the stomach.

Arching above them was a giant charred ribcage, which they had unknowingly walked through. A few of the vertebrae had been knocked out of line where they had stepped. A great horned skull with wide black eye sockets grinned at them from their feet, a few tufts of ashen hairs still clinging to the surface. But this was not nearly the worst of it.

Leaning upon either side of the great ribs were two identical, smaller replicas of the skeleton. Two more sad little skulls littered the floor, each with two tell-tale bumps upon their temples promising magnificent horns like that of their parent. They would never have the chance to show: the Fire Nation had made sure of that.

"Air bison…" said Katara weakly. "They hid in here when…" Her throat tightened painfully, and she swallowed. Tearing her eyes from the miserable sight, her gaze was drawn to suspicious black stars spreading from the air vents in the ceiling above. "The soldiers must have found the vents, and…" Her hands flew to her mouth in horror.

Katara could picture it in terrible clarity. A mother bison herding her calves into shelter, hidden far from the carnage of the firebenders laying waste to the Temple. A Fire Nation airship gliding down the canyon from the sea, one of many. Noticing the clay circles in the sides of the cliff, they would have easily guessed what they were, and figured that it lead to a place of shelter. And then…

The little family had been roasted alive.

Beside her Aang stood perfectly still, his eyes jerking from the mother's skull to the calves' skeletons. Katara drew a shuddering breath, watching him. Her vision swam as a few stray tears spilled down her cheeks, unchecked. But the last airbender remained stiff as a poker. She waited until she could wait no longer.

"Aang-"

Suddenly, there came a huge gust of wind. Katara yelped, flinging her arms in front of her face. Her heart throbbed painfully in her chest: the Avatar state? She wouldn't have been surprised, if only she hadn't known it was impossible. Then, it was pitch black: she heard the slapping of feet on rock growing fainter and fainter until the sound vanished altogether. Breathing heavily, she lowered her arms and opened her eyes. "Aang?" No answer. She gingerly spread her arms before her, fumbling around in the darkness. "Aang!" Panic stabbed at her belly. Her fingers brushed something smooth and hard: she gripped it. It had a sickeningly familiar curve to it. A rib. She shrieked, stumbling backwards. Her back hit the wall, and she blindly clutched at her skirt. She was alone. "AANG!" Out. She had to get out. Now.

The air felt tight and heavy, pressing in on her from all sides as she stumbled through the dark. Her eyes were wide open, but she couldn't see a thing. Katara could almost feel the ghosts of the bison swirling around her, once gentle creatures turned to sinister shades seeking revenge upon any and all who disturbed their resting place. It would have been an understatement to say she was terrified. How long had it been since he'd ran? A moment ago she was sure it had been mere seconds, but what if it had been hours? Days? She wouldn't know. How could he leave her? Forget her in a place like this? Don't be so selfish, Katara. No wonder he ran, can you hardly blame him? Poor Aang… She hoped he was alright.

Now the silence seemed to eat away at her ears. She picked up quiet noises, the sources of which she could only guess at: the wind moaning through the vents, the bones creaking far behind her. The shuffling of her feet seemed impossibly loud, and she winced with each step. Every one of her senses was on red alert, made worse by the fact that she could see and smell nothing.

The tunnel seemed to go on forever: had it been that long when they had walked in? Maybe, she thought with a jolt of panic, she had taken a wrong turn? No, that was ridiculous. There had been no turn offs. Had there?

And then, she walked straight into somebody.

They both shrieked in surprise, but Katara continued to struggle long after the other had stopped. The evil apparition had her by her shoulders.

"Katara! Katara, stop! Please stop, it's me! It's me!" She froze.

"Aang?" The figure sniffed in affirmation.

"Katara," his voice cracked slightly. "I'm really sorry, I didn't… I shouldn't have… I…" Whatever Aang was going to say turned into nothing more than a croak of surprise as Katara lunged forward and drew him into a tight hug. He responded by gingerly wrapping his arms about her waist, dropping his head onto her shoulder. After a long, drawn out silence, it was Katara who finally spoke.

"Like I said," she murmured. "I was never any good at Pai Sho. I don't really want to play anymore." Aang smiled against her neck and closed his eyes.


	3. Underwater

A few hours had passed: the evening was getting on.

The Giant Pai Sho Table was now underwater, the dark seawater lapping gently at the rocky walls.

Sitting on the edge of the wall, facing out to sea, the pair sat in a comfortable silence, simply pleased to be in each other's company. After all, nothing combats awkwardness like a traumatizing event coupled with exhaustion.

Without words they had decided not to talk about the Pai Sho cabinet and its contents. There was really nothing that needed saying anway.

Their boots and socks lay in neat little piles beside them as they dipped their toes in the waves, swinging their legs in unison. It was a shame, thought Katara dazedly, that there wasn't a moon. Not only would she have liked to see just how far the sea stretched, but a bit of casual waterbending might have lightened the mood a little earlier.

She stifled a yawn.

When she opened her eyes, it took her a few moments for her to realize that she was staring at her companion, and he was staring back. He smiled softly.

"Do you want to go back?" he asked, stretching. "It's getting kind of late." Katara considered this.

"Well, that wasn't much of a tour."

"No," he agreed. Katara chanced another look: his expression was one of thoughtfulness as he watching the reflected stars skip across the sea. "I guess not."

"What else is there to see?"

"Huh?"

"In and around the Air Temple."

"Well, there's the all-day echo chamber."

"That sounds interesting! What does that do?"

"Uh… It echoes."

"Oh. Oh yeah. Of course." Aang chuckled. Katara blushed, and began to twirl her hair between her fingers.

"Why do you do that?" Katara started.

"Do what?" she said quickly, dropping her hands into her lap.

"Play with your hair like that. Why do you do that when you're…" Aang's voice trailed off and Katara looked up, surprised. He seemed… Nervous.

"When I'm what, Aang?"

"Well… When you're… I don't know…" Katara smiled. So, he noticed.

"When I'm embarrassed?" She finished for him. He looked up, shrugging. Evidently he was a little relieved that she had caught his meaning. Subconsciously, Katara began to fiddle with her hair once more, slightly flustered. She had spoken rashly.

"Actually, more often I do it when I'm stupid," she said grimly, looking at her feet. "Which seems to be pretty frequently, now that I mention it-"

"You're not stupid!" Put in Aang earnestly. "You're never stupid!" Katara laughed flatly.

"That's sweet."

"I'm serious!" She peered at him curiously. His cheeks flushed, but he continued. "Not only are you not stupid, you're really smart! You're also strong, and kind, and beau-" Aang's jaw clamped shut, and for a moment his eyes appeared to pop out of their sockets, his entire face now completely red. He swallowed and dropped his gaze. Katara stared, blushing herself.

"Oh," she said, slowly looking away. Aang winced. "Uh, thanks."

"You're… Erm… You're welcome." He said stiffly. So stiffly, Katara started to laugh. Aang stared at her incredulously. "I said I was serious!" He said hotly.

"I know," said Katara between giggles. "But _so_ serious-" Aang folded his arms huffily, the tinge not having yet left his cheeks. "Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that! Really!" It was very hard to sound sincere when in the middle of a laughing fit. Clearly offended and highly embarrassed, Aang got to his feet, and started to put his boots back on. "Don't be like that! Aang, I'm sorry, don't go! Wait-"

And then Katara did something really worth twirling her hair over: she lunged at his ankles, unbalancing them both and sending them tumbling into the ocean with a coupled shout of surprise.

Aang's head broke the water first, spluttering furiously. Katara appeared seconds later with a gasp. For a moment they stared at each other in shocked silence, broken only by their heavy breathing.

"Monkeyfeathers," grumbled Aang at last. He carefully placed a boot back onto the rocky wall. "I think I dropped my other shoe."

"Oh," Katara breathed. "That's not good. Sorry."

"It's okay," he said, not looking at her. "I'll just-"

"Aang?" He appeared to debate looking at her. He glanced at her sulkily. Katara smiled softly. "I really didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry if it seemed that way." Katara was now trying in earnest to restrain her giggles, and she hoped that her sincerity was properly portrayed this time. Aang blinked at her for a moment, and genuinely smiled. It seemed it had. Suddenly he started.

"My shoe!" he yelped, a look of terror flashing across his face, and with a splash he dove beneath the waves. Katara chuckled, amusing herself in the meantime by paddling about in small circles. During this time, it slowly dawned on her just how forward she had been. She reddened.

It was now painfully obvious that what she had said to correct her mistake Aang could easily take to mean something else entirely. Don't be ridiculous Katara, she told herself firmly. Stop being a paranoid teenage girl.

But I am a paranoid teenage girl!

No you're not!

Oh, yes I am. Katara grimaced. I am… Uh oh. Well, whatever happens, it will not, under any circumstances, be awkward.

Oh, you had to bring that up. Now that you've done that, of course it's going to be.

No!

Oh yes. She pulled on her hair miserably. Yes it was. Mercifully, her train of thought abruptly switched tracks. Boy, Aang could really hold his breath.

With a loud splash, he resurfaced, grinning. "Got it!" he gasped. He held his other boot above his head like a trophy, carefully setting next to the other. Then, to Katara's expectation and secret horror, his gaze fell upon her once again.

"I'd like to go back now," she blurted suddenly. A little too suddenly. Katara wished she could have slapped herself, then and there. Aang's eyes flickered from confusion to disappointment to submission so quickly she was surprised that she caught it.

"Okay, sure," he said kindly. He pulled himself out of the water and sat on the rocks, blinking at Katara expectantly. She remained where she was, expression a little glazed as she bobbed in the water. He arched an eyebrow.

Luckily for Katara Aang was a very patient being, for little did he know of the furious battle raging in her mind. "Actually," she burst. "Never mind." Aang moved to slide back into the water.

"Okay…"

"No, wait, maybe… Uh…" Aang laughed uncomfortably, positioned awkwardly halfway down the rocks.

"Are we staying or going, Katara? It's up to you." Katara grimaced: she had been afraid of that.

"Um… Going… No, I…" With a snarl of frustration, Katara sunk her head beneath the waves. That ought to calm her down.

She was being pulled in two. She couldn't hold herself responsible for anything that happened tonight, she was so confused.

Anything that happened? For goodness sake Katara, what on earth do you think will happen? That you might actually make a decision as to whether or not you like him the way he likes you?

What do you mean the way he likes me?

Don't act coy with me. You know what I exactly mean. At least he's made his intentions clear. So what are you going to do about it?

Uh… I don't… Know. I don't know.

Fine. Well, if you want to carry on in denial that's okay by me. Go back to the camp then.

I will.

Coward.

I will go back, she told herself firmly, as she pulled herself out of the water at last. Better that than blurting out some nonsensical hormonal rubbish and making a mess of things. She wrung out her hair, and pulled her boots a little closer. This was a safe decision, she told herself firmly. Making no decision was a safe decision.

It was then that she looked over to Aang. Or, rather, where Aang had been sitting when she had submerged. For where her friend had once sat beside his shoes was a little pile of orange and yellow robes. She gawked for a moment, before her attention was drawn to a splash a fair way out to sea.

"What are you doing?" Katara stood up and yelled across the waves.

"Swimming!" Came the reply.

"Why?" She must have sounded a little anxious, for Aang suddenly stopped splashing about and shrugged.

"I dunno… The water's nice?" Katara smiled despite herself.

"Is that the only reason?" She slowly sat down again, pulling her knees to her chest.

"Well… Yeah, actually!" It seemed like a good enough reason to Katara, but she wasn't quite finished yet.

"I thought it was up to me, whether or not we stay." Aang smoothly paddled back to the rocks, but remained in the water.

"Of course it is," he said pleasantly. "And if you don't want to stay, we'll go. But since you seemed to be having trouble deciding, I thought I might… I dunno…" He beamed. "Try to influence you a little?"

"I'm guessing you want to stay."

"Well…" With all of his body submerged but his bald head, Katara couldn't help but notice with great amusement his resemblance to a bobbing cork. He looked up at her. "Yeah, I guess I do."

"Alright then," said Katara. All of a sudden she had been hit by a wave of confidence: she had no idea where it had come from and wasn't going to waste time wondering about it. She was going to make use of it while she could. Getting to her feet again, Katara pulled her dress over her head in one fluid motion. She didn't see the Avatar blush and avert his gaze. In a strange, hopping dance she removed her breeches, and threw herself, a mass of flailing limbs, into the water. Such was her haste to get in that she didn't even concern herself with grace, which seemed to have occurred to her as her head resurfaced moments later, cheeks cherry red.

Laughing, Aang was at her side in moments. "So," she said, suddenly pleased that she'd chosen to stay. "What now?" Aang pondered this for a moment.

"I bet I can touch the bottom before you."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Remember, I've already done it once!"

"Ha! I bet I can touch it twice before you can resurface!"

"Alright, Sifu Katara, you're on!"

"Hold on: the stakes." Aang hesitated, and Katara grinned. "Don't tell me you're so afraid of losing you won't post stakes!" He frowned.

"Of course I'm not afraid!"

"Alright then, if I win, which I will, I… I get Momo for a day." He gave her a puzzled look.

"Why?" Katara pondered this for a moment.

"I don't know," she said at last. "I'm sure I can think of something!"

"Okay. If I win-"

"Which you won't"

"-I get-"

"Which you won't!" she teased in a sing-song voice.

"-a kiss."

"Which you… What?"

"Onetwothreego!" Aang's furiously flushed face was visible for but a split second before he submerged.

Katara, however, was frozen solid. Her mouth was ajar, and fortunately enough she was far enough out to sea that no unwary insect would drift inside, for she wouldn't have noticed. Her mind had barely finished processing the words when her companion resurfaced. Instinctively she jerked backwards, eyes wide in alarm.

"Finished already?" she asked a little too loudly, panic evident in her voice.

"Uh… Well, no," he said lamely. "It's just you… You didn't dive, so…" He sighed. "Do you not want to play anymore, or… It's…" He looked at her imploringly. "It's no fun if you don't… Go." With a jolt, she realized just how unusual the statement was. Had the boy in front of her not been Aang, he would have taken her lack of action as a positive sign, and as a result be slobbering over her this instant. She'd been around Sokka long enough to know that. But as it happened the boy in front of her was indeed Aang. And, typical of only him, he was more interested in the game than the prize.

Or he was very good at appearing to be so.

"It's the stakes, isn't it," he said in a dull voice, reading her silence. "Sorry. That was… Dumb." He mumbled something about not thinking, and looked at her anxiously. However, Katara's numbness ensued. It was interesting, she thought. He seems to be torn between two personalities. Katara had often speculated to herself that she knew two Aangs: one with and without hair. Aang without hair was sweet, innocent, and generally charming. Aang with hair was bold, dashing, and suave. At the moment, his tactics appeared to be switching between the two, and as a result leaving a bit of a mess in its wake, which he seemed to be very aware of.

Just like me, she thought with a start. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "How about… No stakes?" he suggested hoarsely.

"What?" stammered Katara at last. "O-oh, yeah. Sure. No stakes." Immediately she felt a little better. "Go?"

"Go," he agreed, taking a deep breath, and diving for the second time. Katara took a large gulp of air and followed suit. She almost released it at once in surprise: Aang, a pale dart through the black waters, was already speeding towards the invisible ocean floor. Shaking herself, she propelled herself after him, and it wasn't long before they were neck and neck, hurtling into the abyss. Underwater, they exchanged a glance. Katara narrowed her eyes, and added an extra burst of speed. She felt the thrill of impending victory for but a moment before the Avatar drew level to her once again.

This went on for quite some time, and Katara began to wonder whether or not there was a bottom. Then all at once it rushed into view: a barely visible pane of grey in the dim light. She landed with a muffled thud, and a cloud of sparkling sand blossomed about her feet. As she prepared to launch, she noticed that despite her efforts to outswim him, Aang was crouched beside her. I've taught him annoyingly well, she mused to herself.

Once of the most interesting and primarily noticeable things about being underwater is the pressing silence. It is a comfortable one, especially the relatively warm waters, rather like plunging into a bath. And so as they crouched like springs on the seabed, the competition changed. Neither wanted to hurry so long as they had a complete lungful of air, so rather than a contest of speed it became a one of endurance.

Katara was able to make out the shape of her friend in the darkness, partially because of his fair complexion, but mostly because of the (not at all unfriendly) glinting grey eyes fixed on her. Or rather, she noted curiously, her hair. His wide eyes followed the slow, gentle sweeps and arcs that her hair drew in the water, floating lazily about her scalp like a drowsy octopus. It seemed ridiculous to Katara, in all honesty: both her hair's defiance of gravity and Aang's apparent fascination with it. He stared a moment longer before he did something neither of them expected.

Hesitantly, he stretched out his fingertips, and began to entwine them with her curls. It was then that Katara remembered that Aang hadn't much experience in the area of hair. Sure, he'd had a scruffy inch-long mess on his scalp for a few months, but tresses like the ones she sported must be strange to him.

Her scalp tingled pleasantly as the roots were gently pulled in differing directions, and she found her eyes following the movement of his hand. His fingers gently twirled in little circles, tangling and untangling themselves simultaneously. In the blackness, it appeared that parts of his hand would simply disappear and reappear with each flick. She watched on, his fingers twisting deeper and deeper… Until finally one lightly brushed her cheek.

He appeared to be much more startled than she, more with himself than anything. It seemed to shock him out of his little stupor in any case, and Katara surprised herself by feeling a pang of disappointment as he drew away. He carefully unwrapped his hand from her hair, glancing upwards. Almost on cue her diaphragm throbbed. Katara nodded, and with a mutual push of their legs they were propelled upwards, the sand swirling in shock from their sudden departure.

They broke the surface of the water with a loud gasp, ensued by laboured breathing while their lungs recovered. In her haste to reach the surface, Katara had forgotten to sweep her hair aside, and as a result its entirety hung in front of her face. It gave her the appearance of some kind of seaweed creature. Aang took one look at her and burst out laughing. He reached forward to help her pluck away the dark wet ropes of hair. "What a mess," she panted, laughing breathily.

"I like your hair," he chuckled. "There, all finished." Katara beamed at him.

"Thank you Avatar Aang, protector against cosmetic disasters!"

"Anytime, Katara Water Tribe. Helping people: it's what I do!" His fingers lingered in her hair for a moment longer, which escaped neither's notice, before they slipped back into the water. Katara blinked at him, and Aang blinked back.

It was funny, she thought. If she had been told where she would be now a year ago, there was no doubt she wouldn't have believed it. Floating in the middle of a warm ocean under the stars with an air nomad, her best friend, nonetheless? Not a chance.

"Um… Sorry…" Katara frowned.

"What for?" she asked, perplexed. Aang looked at his fingers sheepishly.

"They, uh… Must have gotten stuck." It took Katara a few moments to figure out what he was referring to. His fingers in my hair. When she did, she felt a rush of affection warm her to the tips of her toes and smiled. Why Aang felt the need to apologise, she didn't really understand (after all, the 'weirdness' hadn't registered with her until he brought it up), but the fact that he had was just so typical that she couldn't stop what happened next.

Suddenly, that wave of confidence returned in full, and before she could pause to think about it she leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on his cheek.

As she drew back, she couldn't help but notice (with a certain amount of smugness) the sudden colour in his cheeks. Aang's mouth was open slightly, his eyes wide and shining with surprise. Recently, though she would scold herself afterwards, Katara had taken a liking to this particular type of torture. At first, a quick peck on the cheek had been her way of expressing how proud she was of him. Lately, however, she'd started doing it more and more frequently, noting with a guilty stab of glee how it seemed to increasingly affect the poor boy.

Though her kisses usually still held their original meaning, she occasionally wondered at her own motives, and whether or not conveying pride was still her major one. It had to be, right? But then… What was that one for?

Seeing Aang's reaction had done nothing to deplete the abrupt surge of her ego, and so that combined with possibly the setting, her grogginess in the late hour, and most certainly just generally being sick of them, Katara managed to brush the little bickering voices of her insecurities for the first time that evening. Of course, she knew that they'd return in full force sooner or later. But not for a little while, at least. Perhaps now, it could finally be brought to the surface…

"Katara, I-" He hesitated, glancing at her under his eyelids. He appeared to be looking for something… Permission to continue. She remained silent, and Aang took a steadying breath. "I should… Probably explain, a-about that… Moment, o-on the submarine."

The little pang of dread in her chest was washed away by a flood of relief. Finally, the awkwardness would dissolve once and for all, those little voices banished forever. Things were going to go back the way they were. Back to normal. Back to dry land. She smiled.

"It's alright," she said softly. "I know why, don't worry about it." He looked up sharply.

"Y-you do?" he said, a little alarmed. Katara nodded reassuringly. "And you're not… Mad?"

"Of course not," she said kindly. "You thought you were going to die." She missed his hesitant expression. Had she seen it, perhaps the alarm bells might have signalled her to stop. "I mean, people usually do crazy things like that when… Well."

"When what?" he asked quickly. Katara was so lost in her relief that she also failed to catch his next expression: seriousness. Aang had begun to suspect that they weren't following the same train of thought after all. His eyes searched her face, almost desperately. She didn't appear to notice.

"Well… When you're facing death." She eyed him curiously. When his face remained still and set, insecurities began to creep once more into the back of her mind. "That, uh… That was the only reason… Right?" she muttered uncomfortably. Katara's heart was hammering like a drum. Surely he didn't… She had tried her very best to wrestle that suspicion out of her.

"Yeah," he said, beaming. "Yeah… Of course it was." She sighed, her shoulders sagging as the tension drained from her system. He didn't quite meet her gaze when he said this, another thing that Katara forgot to register.

"Well," she said at last. "I'm glad that's over!" She laughed away the last of her nerves. "I thought things were going to get weird for a little while!" Aang smiled weakly.

"So… Friends?" he asked, holding out his hand. Katara brushed it away and instead drew him into a tight embrace. Aang bit his lip, sadness flashing cross his face for a split second, before he returned the gesture.

"When weren't we?" she said happily, closing her eyes.

"Good point," he chuckled. "Now I don't know about you, but I'm starting to look like a sea prune." Under his hands, Katara's sides shook as she laughed.

"We can't have that! How can you save the world if you're a vegetable? C'mon, let's go back." She abruptly let go of his shoulders. "I'll race you!" she called over her shoulder, already speeding towards the rocky wall of the giant Pai Sho table. Aang's grin faded as she looked away. He shook himself, and struck out after her.


	4. Problem Solving

They chatted enthusiastically on the journey back, both very relieved that they were on comfortable talking terms. Aang told her all about how he and Teo had fixed up ramps all over the temple, of a very interesting game of catch with The Duke and Sokka (in which The Duke begrudgingly obliged to be the ball), his firebending training, and how Zuko wasn't such a jerk after all (she politely disagreed with this statement, but he didn't press her), and his time with the Sun Warriors. Katara listened keenly as he told her about the firebending masters, and nearly jumped out of her skin when he told her of their… 'Scaly' personalities.

"Dragons?" she yelped.

"Yeah, I know! I was really worried… Zuko told me they were extinct!"

"Well," she said grumpily. "That's what you get for trusting Zuko I suppose." Aang glanced at her over his shoulder. She continued: "Wait, so… The only reason you were worried is because you thought they'd died out?"

"Of course! It's part of the Avatar's duty to protect the balance of nature." He paused. "It was such a relief to find out I hadn't failed again…" said Aang softly. Katara said nothing, but tightened her hold about his neck and nuzzled his shoulder. He sighed contentedly, and she smiled. "What other reason would I have to be afraid?"

"Well, I don't know," said Katara dryly. "Maybe because they're dragons?" Aang burst out laughing, which Katara felt rather than heard over the wind.

"Oh, right, I forgot about that!" Katara grinned.

"Forgot?" she exclaimed dramatically. "You could have been eaten! Singed to a crisp! Drawn and quartered! How could you forget?" She emphasized each potential situation with a tickle to the ribs, something which Aang, engaged in flying the glider, could do nothing to prevent.

"Katara!" he gasped between giggles. "Katara, stop!"

"Sliced and diced!"

"Ha ha ha, stop it!"

"Become an airbending appetiser!"

"Stop, stop!"

"Turned into a chewtoy!"

"Katara! Ha ha-"

"Roasted to-" The last part of that phrase was turned to a shriek as the edge of the glider clipped the canyon wall. She instinctively tightened her hold on the airbender beneath her, screwing her eyes shut. Once the initial stab of panic and ebbed away, Katara became aware of a light flutter against her face. It tickled. She cracked open an eyelid.

Her cheek was pressed up against Aang's; the fluttering she felt were his eyelashes as he blinked. She felt a slight burning sensation from the Avatar's suddenly heated cheeks.

"I warned you," he murmured. She grinned, and readjusted herself back behind his shoulders.

Katara was particularly thrilled to be able to be herself again. As the flight dragged on, somewhat longer than she remembered, the conversation became more and more one-sided as Aang slowly succumbed to drowsiness. But that didn't stop her: there was so much to catch up on! She babbled on about waterbending techniques she'd discovered, promising to show him when the moon returned, what the rest of the Gaang had accomplished while he had been off "playing with firebending monsters" (Aang suspected she might not have been referring to the dragons), and elaborated on Toph and Sokka's attempts to sabotage her work. Honestly, she told him, deep down she really appreciated them for giving her the break. "And the waterbending practice," she added slyly.

Without the moon or Sokka's astronomical charts from the underground library, it was difficult to tell what time it was, though Katara suspected it was getting to that strange part of the night when it was so late it could almost be considered early.

Their landing was considerably heavier than the feather-like touchdown at the Pai Sho table, so much so that Aang stumbled. Naturally Katara followed suit, still gripping tight onto his shoulders as she was. He pitched forward with little more warning than a "Whoa!", and the pair fell flat onto the rocky ground. Katara gasped, clambering off of the boy's back and springing to crouch by his head. He had fallen on his face, arms and legs spread like a starfish.

"Aang? Aang, are you okay?" He groaned as she gingerly flipped him over. His nose was lightly grazed, but asides from that he appeared to be unharmed. He mumbled something, his eyes still closed. Frowning, Katara leaned in close, her ears straining. Suddenly, the Avatar sat bolt upright, their foreheads colliding with an echoing 'bonk'.

They recoiled with a mutual yelp of pain. Katara fell heavily onto her rump, clutching her head and grimacing. The force of the impact had put Aang onto his back again.

"Ow," he croaked.

"Ow," Katara agreed.

"Sorry…"

"It's alright." She crawled back over to his side. "Are you okay?" she repeated.

"Yeah, I think so," Aang sat up again, slowly this time, raising his fingers to his nose. He winced, and a few droplets of blood budded from the graze.

"Come here," Katara smiled grimly. Aang shuffled closer, stifling a yawn.

"What time is it?" he asked thickly, as Katara dabbed at his nose with a wet strip of cloth. He recoiled with a hiss.

"Don't be such a baby," scolded Katara, grabbing his chin between her fingers to hold him still.

"It stings…"

"It's just a graze," she said softly. "It could have been worse." Aang watched her as she pulled the cork from her water skin, bringing a little ball of water, barely the size of the pad of his thumb, level with his nose.

"Not one of my best landings," he said groggily, eyes fixed on the little floating sphere as it moved closer to the tip of his nose. As it did, his eyes slowly crossed. Katara giggled. "Ugh," he blinked, eyes focusing back onto Katara in an instant. He smiled as the water began to glow, lighting a small circle of the night.

"What?" asked Katara warily. He smirked.

"Nothing, it's just… I think it's amazing you can do that. I don't really want you to stop." Katara began to grow a little flustered under his heavy gaze.

"Don't worry," she said. "I'm sure you'll get to see plenty more of it." His brow creased in bafflement.

"Huh?"

"At the rate you throw yourself into danger?" she laughed quietly. "I don't think I'll be able to keep my eyes off of you!"

"I wouldn't mind that," he said softly. She looked up, and their eyes locked. She slowly withdrew her fingers, breaking eye contact at last when she replaced the cork. A flash of sadness passed over his face.

"All finished," she said slowly. "You might get a bit of bruise, but we'll see about that in the morning."

"Thanks," he said cheerily, sliding over to the edge of the cliff and swinging his legs over the edge. He sighed. Katara remained where she was for a moment, puzzling. "You know," said Aang after a minute or two. "I think I'll show you guys the orchard tomorrow."

"The orchard?" Katara sat cross-legged next to him. He nodded, leaning back on his palms.

"Where we grew apples and pears and plums, and sometimes cherries... For the fruit pies."

"Oh, right."

"You'll like it," he continued. "We'll fill up Appa's saddlebags, and that can feed us for a while." He beamed at her over his shoulder. "That way you'll have some free time!" He yawned again. Katara smiled.

"Some free time would be great," she said keenly. "I can show you those waterbending techniques I told you about!" Aang nodded sleepily, his eyelids drooping.

Katara stared out at the canyon below. This had been exactly where she had been sitting a few hours ago, when she'd flicked a pebble in frustration, and thus commenced the evening's activities. Following their conversation, everything would appear to have gone back to normal. But lingering in the recesses of her mind were the little voices, ready to strike out at the slightest hint of…

She wondered if it had been the only reason he'd done it. After all, it wasn't really Aang who had said it. She had. Him simply agreeing with her didn't mean it was true.

But no, he wouldn't lie about that.

Would he?

Katara started as something bumped her arm: while her mind had been whirling, Aang had dozed off, his quiet snores hardly being loud enough to alert her to his condition sooner. His head had dropped onto her shoulder. She smiled, laughing softly. Poor kid. It really was pretty late. She yawned.

Crouching beside him, she attempted to scoop him up. Perhaps she was overly tired, or still dizzy from the head-bump, but Katara found to her surprise she could hardly lift him. She gaped. Wow, she thought, grimacing as she tried again. What have I been feeding him? He's really grown! After a few attempts with little success, Katara let out a sigh of defeat, falling backwards onto her elbows to catch her breath. Aang's head lolled forward, and no sooner had she paused to rest that she lunged forward to keep him from tipping over the edge. He must be really wiped out, she mused. He's usually a light sleeper! Gently tugging him away from the cliff, Katara pulled him against her chest while she wondered how on earth she was going to get them back down to the fountain.

Aang shifted in his sleep and nudged his head under her chin. Katara stiffened, her breath catching in her throat. She smiled. He mumbled something indistinguishable, his mouth hanging slightly open.

"Okay Aang," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "Looks like we're staying here tonight."

Light streamed through her eyelids, and she raised an arm to shield her eyes from the blinding sunlight. Morning. Funny: she didn't even remember falling asleep. Stretching, she wriggled upright, and the blanket fell from her torso. Blanket? Katara stiffened with surprise, taking in her surroundings.

Somehow, she was lying on one of the sleeping mats by the fountain. It must have been early: Suki wasn't even awake yet. She usually got up at about this time to perform her morning exercises.

So if I'm here, she thought, then where's… Aang was curled up, fast asleep on Appa's forearm. She sighed, and lay back onto the mat. He must have woken up and carried me down.

It had been an interesting evening, no doubt about it. On one hand, things between them had returned to normal, but on the other… Katara rolled onto her side. She just couldn't be sure if she knew anything anymore, particularly not how he actually felt about her, despite what he'd said. Or how she felt about him.

At least we're back to being friends again, she told herself firmly. Katara sighed.

So much for problem solving.


End file.
